Safety-stirrup.



A. G. SWANSON.

SAFETY STIRRUP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1911.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

awuwwtoz A. GSwanson.

A, C. SWANSON.

SAFETY STIRRUP.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 10, 1911.

1,048,229. Patented De0.24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Smvewtoz. son.

UNITE ANDREW C. SWANSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SAFETY-STIRRUP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW C. Swanson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety st-irrups, and particularly to the class of stirrup, wherein the foot plate may be quickly released to disengage the foot from the stirrup.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple means for opening the stirrup by slight pressure against the horses body with the stirrup, so that the person wishing to dismount, need only slip the foot from the off stirrup, press the near stirrup against the horses body, and quickly slide from the horse.

Another object is the peculiar construction and arrangement of the releasing means which can be readily relocked to normal position while the person is in the saddle, but needs operation by the hand before the person mounts, thus insuring that the stirrup is. in proper condition before the person mounts the horse.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description, and with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is side elevation shown in accordance with my invention, the stirrup being shown open, Fig. 2 is a similar view the stirrup being shown closed, Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the same, Fig. 4 is an end View showing the releasing means, Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 10 represents the yoke of the stirrup, the end of one of the arms of which 11 is bifurcated at 12, to receive the reduced end 13 of the pivoted foot plate 1 1, through which and the furcations extends the pivot pin 15. The relative end of the other arm 11 is also bifurcated, but slightly larger as indicated at 16, and is formed with an integral stop shoulder 17 at the upper end of the bifurcation. The adjacent end of the foot plate 14 is slightly reduced at 18, and is adapted to be seated between the furcations, as shown. The free end of the foot plate extends downwardly and outwardly at 19, the lower face Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10, 1911.

Patented Dec. 24,1912.

Serial No. 637,747.

of the same being slightly eonvexed as at 20 to engage with the concaved face 21 of the holding and releasing device to be later described. The foot plate 14 comprises a straight bar having a tread surface extending laterally from, both sides of the upper face thereof,'on which the toe of the rider is adapted to rest. At the pivotal connection of the foot plate 14 is arranged a spring 23, which normally holds the foot plate in elevated position.

The releasing device comprises a substantially S-shaped lever 24 extending through an opening 25 in the arm 11 of the yoke, and pivoted thereto by means of the pin 26. The upper end of the lever 24 extends outwardly through the same slot 25, and has on its end a button 27. The lower end of the lever iseurved as at 28, and extends within the bifurcated end of the arm 11', the upper face being slightly concave correspondingly to the lower face of the adjacent end of the foot plate at 21, as before mentioned, and when said foot plate is forced upwardly against the end 28, the rounded edge 20 will engage the rounded edge 21, and force the same out of the way so that the end of the foot plate will pass up through the furcations, and against the stop shoulder 17, whereupon a spring 29 secured at its opposite ends to the lever 24 and to the arm 11 of the yoke returns the end 28 to normal position to bring its inclined face in engagement with the inclined face of the end of the foot plate, thus holding the parts securely together, and permitting weight to be borne by the rider on the foot plate without the lever being pushed out of position. To release the foot plate, while mounted, it is only necessary for the rider to press the stirrup against the body of the animal so that the button 27 engages therewith, whereupon the stirrup is released and the rider pushes downwardly with his foot which carries with it the foot plate. The rider disengages the other foot from the other stirrup and slides from the horse.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a safety stirrup including an inverted yoke, said yoke having the extremities of its arms bifurcated, a foot plate pivotally attached at one end between the furcations of one of the arms, a laterally extending stop shoulder above the furcations of the other arm, the free end of the foot plate being adapted to engage between the furcations of the last named arm, a lever pivoted to said arm and movable transversely of the yoke, the free end of the foo-t plate being adapted for engagement by means on the end of the lever, whereby said foot plate is adapted to support the weight of the rider without becoming disengaged, and means on the lever for engagement with the horses body to release the lever from the foot plate.

2. In a safety stirrup including an inverted yoke, the ends of the arms of the yoke being bifurcated, a foot plate engaged with its opposite ends between the furcations in the arms, one end of said foot plate being pivotally mounted between one set of furcations, the opposite end of the foot plate removably disposed between the other set of furcations, a spring for normally holding the foot plate with its free end in engagement with the last mentioned furcations, the free end of said foot plate having the end portion downwardly and outwardly inclined, the lower face of said inclined portion being slightly convexed, an S-shaped lever pivotally mounted on the adjacent arm of the yoke, the lower free end of said lever having its upper face concaved, and its lower face conveXed, said conveXcd face being so arranged, that the end of the foot plate, when it is being engaged therewith, will push the end of the lever out of its path, so that the said end of the foot plate may engage between the furcations, and means between the (-opies of this patent may be obtained for plate normally in closed position, one of the bifurcated arms of the yoke being provided with an opening, an S-shaped lever pivotally mounted in the opening, the lower end of the lever being curved to normally lie under the free end of the foot plate, and the lower end of the lever being provided with an upper concave face for engagement with the free end of the foot plate, a spring for normally holding the end of the lever beneath the end of the foot plate, and a head on the opposite end of the lever, whereby when said head is pressed against the body of an animal by the rider the opposite end of the lever will be disengaged from the free end of the foot plate, whereupon the rider may depress the foot plate against the tension of the resilient means to disengage his foot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW C. SWANSON.

Witnesses:

J. H. BUCHANAN, W. G. BEARD.

five cents'each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

